(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to weft-knit textile articles and, more particularly, to a double face, weft-knit textile garment having a first face having a printed portion; and a second face having a printed portion, wherein the fabric density of the fabric forming the garment is sufficient to substantially prevent grin through from at least one printed portion to the opposite face.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Weft-knit fabrics are commonly used for a wide variety of purposes ranging from signage to apparel. Such fabrics are generally desirable because they are durable and easy to manufacture, for example, they may be more cost effective to knit than warp-knit fabrics. They also typically, because of the weft-construction, only have one true face side, or side configured to be an outer facing side in garments, for example. Again, in garments, the side of the fabric for wearing against the body, or the inner side, may have a certain knit or structure that is defined by the weft construction of the fabric, which makes it unsuitable as a face. Because of this constraint, weft-knit fabric is not typically used to make reversible garments or double faced garments.
Double faced garments can be desirable for any number of reasons, such as, for example, use in athletic competitions. For most organized team sports, or team sporting events, members of one team have one colored jersey and members of the other team have another colored jersey. These different colored jerseys allow both players and spectators to differentiate between team members. At pickup sporting events, however, it is rare that participants will be aware of what other players will be wearing prior to the event, so any coordination of jersey color is difficult. Similarly, for some sporting events, such as pickup or celebrity basketball or soccer games for example, there may be frequent short games with players switching back and forth between teams. In such situations, players often switch jerseys, which may be undesirable because it increases the potential for transmission of blood, sweat and bacteria. Alternatively, a player may be required to have two separate jerseys, one for each team, which is also undesirable because it necessitates having another jersey and keeping up with that other jersey during the game.
By using a double faced jersey having, for example, a dark color on one face and a light color on the opposite face, players could easily switch back and forth between teams. Additionally, reversible jerseys may be desirable for sports fans or spectators at sporting events, who could have both “home” and “away” jersey faces in a single garment or article. Achieving this objective is difficult, particularly with knit fabrics, and even more particularly with knit jerseys knit with holes, because printing or dyeing creates excessive color bleed-through or grin-through.
Others have tried to develop double faced reversible knit fabrics for use in various applications. For example, others have made reversible fabrics for use in textile articles by sandwiching two separate fabrics together or by knitting fabrics with different colored threads. Such a fabric construction addresses color-bleed through and grin-through issues, but creates a fabric or garment of such a weight that it may be too heavy to wear during certain activities, e.g., sports activities or hot weather activities. Similarly, others have made reversible fabrics for textile articles out of simplex using warp knitting. Such simplex warp-knit fabrics are desirable because they allow for printing on each side or face of a fabric without substantial grin-through. Simplex warp-knit fabrics are also desirable because they can be warp knit to include openings or holes to promote breathability. For example, it may be desirable to use simplex warp knit fabrics to make high-cost jerseys for professional sports teams. These types of fabrics, however, may be undesirable because of their cost or weight or because of the specificity in their manufacturing process. It would be desirable to produce a fabric, garment or textile article that has many functional similarities to a simplex warp knit fabric, but, that because of novel structural differences, is easier or more economical to produce.
For various other reasons, other related technologies have other shortcomings.
Thus, there remains a need for a new weft-knit textile garment that has a first face having a printed portion; and a second face having a printed portion, wherein the fabric density of the fabric forming the garment is sufficient to substantially prevent grin through from at least one printed portion to the opposite face. A need also exists for a fabric or garment that is weft-knit with a plurality of openings formed in both faces for breathability.